


Socks, Social Media, and Roses

by WolfyWordWeaver



Series: Supermodel At My Door [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Celebrity Crush, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Humor, M/M, Mild Language, Modeling, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfyWordWeaver/pseuds/WolfyWordWeaver
Summary: A week after being dragged out of his house by supermodel Sirius Black in order to TP his ex's house, Remus is still talking to the man and wondering at the state of their relationship. Sirius lands his dream job and is excited to drag Remus along on new adventures but is Remus really ready to step into the world of celebrities?
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Supermodel At My Door [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623907
Comments: 55
Kudos: 185





	1. Chapter 1

"Bloody hell, Peter, he's doing it again!"

Sirius jumped in guilt and surprise and hissed like a cat as Peter jumped on him and tried to wrestle his phone away.

"Give it!" Peter demanded, ignoring the hisses.

James went for the exposed ribs, eliciting a sound that was a combination of squeaking and yowling.

"You swore that you would stop, Sirius!"

"It was an accident!" Sirius cried lamely, as Peter finally wrestled the device out of his grasping hands. "Guh, you guys are squishing me!"

"It stops being an _accident_ when you very much on purpose type his name in the bloody search bar, Sirius."

James glared down at his melodramatic friend who groaned and covered his eyes with both manicured hands. "Jaaaaaaames."

"I'm going to shove this phone down my pants," Peter warned.

One grey eye peeked out from under a hand. "Pete, mate, I have no issues fondling ass or balls."

"That's like incest with me," Peter tried, but his confidence was visibly wavering.

"Don't give it back," James ordered, but Sirius was already licking his lips and sitting up.

"Pete~" the black-haired man sing-songed. "I would be willing to perform a cavity search on you with my bare hands to get that back. Are you willing to endure one?"

James choked in disgust as Peter squeaked and threw the phone back to its owner. "Sirius Orion Black!"

Sirius pouted as he curled up with his phone. "But James, it's _my precious_."

"Oh Merlin, not that creepy voice!" Peter groaned.

" _It's all mine, my precious_!" Sirius cried in his best Gollum-esque voice.

"You boys are disgusting," a familiar voice sighed from the front door. "How can you have so much energy this early?"

"Lilyyyyyyyyy!" James cried happily as he ran over to glomp his girlfriend.

"I'm fueled by the completely sustainable energy of TRUE LOVE!" Sirius declared as he jumped on the couch, phone held above his head like a freshly-presented Simba.

"He's not in love with the phone," Peter clarified. "It's that bloke we kidnapped."

"For the love of-" Lily sighed as she rubbed her eyes.

James clung to her midsection, not caring that he had to lean forward uncomfortably to do it. He rubbed his face against the small swell and pressed a couple of kisses. "We made him return the guy, Lily, so there won't be police knocking on our door anytime soon. Unless Sirius did something else. Is that why you're home early?"

"Actually, I came home to ground all of you," she replied tiredly.

"What?! Why?!" Sirius cried.

The red-head offered a wide smile. "It's for a good reason this time. I had no previous knowledge of this 'kidnapping' so I'll let it slide for now."

"A good reason?" James quipped as he knelt down to better snuggle her baby bump.

"That doesn't happen often," Peter deadpanned.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a minute before his eyes went wide. "Does that mean-?"

She smiled even more widely before using both hands to gesture to Sirius in introduction. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" she cried in her well-practiced dramatic voice. "May I introduce you to Sirius Black, the first male model to strut the catwalk at the Victoria Secret's Fashion Show!"

The resounding cheers and squeals almost brought the tired manager to tears.

"I'm going to be an Angel!" Sirius screamed as he continued jumping on the couch.

"You're an Angel!" James cried happily as he was now bouncing over his to his life-long best friend.

Lily discreetly dabbed at her eye as she recorded the scene with her cell phone. Sirius had been after this role since he was first accepted into the modeling world and it had taken several long years of hard work, negotiations, determination, and guts, but he had finally accomplished it. Well, he would as soon as he walked down the stage in a couple of months.

"Wait!" Sirius froze as he stared at Lily. "Does that mean?"

She nodded again. "You'll be helping them to introduce their first trans-friendly line, the Fierce collection."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Sirius fell to his back, screaming in delight as his legs kicked in the air excitedly while Peter sat back on the coffee table in shock and awe. James jumped on his friend and shook him by his shoulders screaming just as excitedly. Lily just laughed wetly as she dabbed at her tired eyes a few more times.

"Okay, take a breath, Sirius," she chuckled. "They're going to be making the announcement this week, so I want you boys completely under wraps!"

"I've got to call Regulus!" Sirius gasped as if he hadn't heard Lily at all.

Stopping her video recording, Lily shook her head. "Are you listening to me? _Guys_! You cannot be making any news at all!"

"He's going to flip!"

"SIRIUS!"

That seemed to snap him out of his excited haze. "Huh?"

Taking a deep breath and rubbing her sore belly, Lily tried again. "Listen, I really mean it. No news from the three of you. I don't want to see a _single_ social media post unless it's been cleared by me. This deal is fresh and you haven't exactly signed the paperwork yet so _do no screw this up_."

"Do you have the paperwork?" he asked, his professional face coming up instantly. This was his dream and she was pretty sure that she could trust him not to jeopardize it.

"Yeah, sign it and I'll have James run it back to their lawyer."

"Peter," Sirius ordered with the deep and distinguished voice that he used only for momentous occasions, "The Pen."

Wiping at his eyes, Peter raced off to Sirius' room and came back holding an old fountain pen held high above his head. "My Queen," Peter intoned with as much gravitas as he could muster, "here is The Pen."

Lily started recording again, knowing that Regulus was definitely going to want to see this. With a bow and flourish to the kneeling Peter, Sirius plucked the black and gold pen from his friend's hand and turned to the papers. Signing each marked spot with his full blown signature, not the shorthand he used on autographs, Sirius sealed the legal deal. With the last flick of his wrist, Sirius leaned back and wiped at his wet eyes. He grinned at Lily's phone.

"I don't think this heirloom from the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black has ever signed a more important document," he chuckled. It had been the only thing he had inherited and that was only because his grandfather had handed it down to him before he had been disowned by his parents.

"We need to celebrate!" James declared excitedly.

"Let's keep it low key for now, okay?" she sighed even as the smile seemed permanently etched across her face. "There's going to be a huge celebratory party next week."

"I need to tell Regulus!" Sirius squealed excitedly again. "And I need to tell Remus!"

"Uh, who is Remus?" Lily asked firmly, her manager mode turned back on instantly at the unfamiliar name.

"That's the guy we kidnapped," Peter supplied as he moved towards the fridge. "Sirius has been majorly crushing on him."

"Sirius!" she chided. "You can't go around telling strangers top-secret information!"

"He's not a stranger!" Sirius shot back self-righteously.

"Kidnapping someone doesn't make you friends! And why the bloody hell did you guys _kidnap_ someone?! James!"

**

**Me: I have to be on my best behavior because something big happened. YAY but also UGH.**

Sirius bit his lip excitedly as he received a response almost immediately. It was a picture of Remus with ink toner all over his face and his hair sticking up everywhere. A text message followed behind quickly.

**Hottie: YAY, the printer works again, but UGH now I'm covered in toner and ancient paper dust. That kind of "something big" or something different?**

Snapping a quick selfie he sent it first and then typed out his response.

**Me: You're such a geek! @__@ And it's a different kind of "something big" but probably not as exciting as getting your printer working again.**

Leaning against the bathroom door, Sirius hoped that James wouldn't catch onto him secretly texting Remus. A little buzz accompanied the responding text and he giggled as he read.

**Hottie: You made shopping for eggs look exciting. Granted, that was for a noble quest which did at least have a modicum of excitement, but still. I think everything you do is exciting. Moreso than maintenance on office hardware.**

"You're too cute," Sirius murmured. He really wanted to tell Remus about his new contract, but he wasn't too keen on pissing off Lily. The girl was a right terror when she wanted to be even before her pregnancy hormones made her a she-demon.

**Me: It has to do with some work. So, while I'm fading away here being on my best behavior, do you have anything fun planned?**

He scrolled up and stared at the picture of Remus until the response came through.

**Hottie: The best kind of fun. ;) Yup, going to Walmart to shop for socks and underwear.**

Sirius whimpered, imagining the lean man in nothing but socks and underwear. His little episode of "discreetly" going through all of the other man's drawers had left him with the knowledge that Remus was a boxer brief kind of guy. His mouth watered just thinking about how nicely a hard cock would be outlined in that soft material and how much he would love to mouth at it through the cloth. But really, Walmart?

**Me: Do you always buy your delicates at Walmart? No splurging?**

A sudden knocking at the door made him jump and nearly drop his phone on the tile.

"Sirius if you are texting that guy, I swear I'm going to bury your phone!" James threatened.

He immediately turned on the sink faucets and shoved the phone into his pocket. "Uh, almost finished!"

A heavy sigh sounded from the other side. "Don't forget to flush. And for the love of all things holy please don't be sending him a dick pic."

**

"Why do I let you convince me to do these things?" James whimpered as they walked into the Walmart store.

"Don't worry, Lily's napping," Sirius attempted to soothe as he glanced around the store. "I, uh, need new sunglasses and stuff. You know, to be incognito?"

"I was supposed to just drop off the papers and then come _straight_ home," James sighed again, pulling the bill of his hat a little further down his eyes.

Although he was relatively well known in certain circles because of his successful app building company, James knew that he was far more likely to be recognized by the masses as an accessory to Sirius Black. It was one of the few drawbacks of being friends with a world-renown supermodel. Even Peter was looking nervous to be in a store like Walmart and pulled his hoodie up and further over his face.

"Come on," Sirius sighed as he strutted forward. "You both are ridiculous. If you keep acting so suspicious then people _are_ going to look. We just need to act like our normal dumbass selves."

They stepped up to an accessory aisle right across from the menswear and Sirius began going through the different sunglasses. Peter laughed as he put on a large floppy beach hat. "Think this would hide my face, James?"

James laughed loudly and then grabbed a fluffy pink boa to throw over his shoulders. "Okay, we totally have to do it, Pete," he snorted as he pulled some star-shaped sunglasses to put over his eyes.

"I'm going to record this shit," Sirius laughed as his two friends began their routine.

"Just don't be suspicious~" Peter started with his shoulder shakes that soon turned into his t-rex arm dance.

"Don't be suspicious! Don't be suspicious...suspicious...suspicious...suspicious~" James followed up, mimicking the Jean-Ralphio portion of their favorite obnoxious ditty.

"Don't be suspicious~" Peter continued with a head toss, really getting into it.

Sirius could barely stand straight as he laughed at his friends and he was sure that the video was going to be utter garbage, but it was still hilarious. He was glad that his friends were almost as shameless as he was.

"Uh, Sirius?"

All three of them froze and looked up to see a stunned Remus holding a package of plain white socks in one hand and a package of boxer briefs in the other.

Sirius grinned widely. "Oh! Fancy seeing you again."

**

"Alice, I'm a total _idiot_."

The short-haired girl looked over at her friend in mock-sympathy. "Yeah, you kind of are."

"I mean, really? I had to bring up underwear?! And in a text so that I couldn't pretend that he misheard me or something?!"

It hadn't taken very long for Alice to break through Remus' defenses and learn all about the night spent in the company of Sirius Black and his friends. She had been completely beside herself and had even had Frank bring up a celebratory cake to the office. But Alice knowing about that night also meant that Alice was nagging him to keep texting back, and Remus knew that texting would lead to saying stupid things. It had only taken him a week to finally blunder this badly.

"Underwear," she sighed. "Yeah, now he knows where your mind is. In the gutter."

"It's your fault," he groaned as he searched through the unkempt pile of underwear. There was usually a bonus 7-pack hidden among the 6-pack crowd.

"It's not my fault that a totally gorgeous babe sought you out and helped you not only disfigure your ex's house but also fed you and now sends you a steady stream of pictures for you self-pleasure."

"ALICE!"

He was completely red now and wishing that he didn't carpool with her to work. It was efficient to go shopping with her and it was time for his annual sock and underwear purchases. He had always hated his mother giving these necessities to him for Christmas, so he had created a habit of buying them near the end of August. It was still during the back-to-school rush and there were often sales.

"Tell me it's not true," she challenged. "Look me in the eye, mister, and tell me that you haven't gotten off with those pictures."

He was definitely not looking her in the eye. "Shut up."

He finally found a 7-pack and snatched it out while Alice laughed her head off at his expense. Yup, definitely never going shopping with her again.

"You're too cute," she teased, prodding one of his red cheeks. "I mean, really? The guy wouldn't keep texting you if he didn't like you, so maybe he's just waiting for you to ask him out?"

Remus snorted at that as they stepped away from the men's section. "Oh yeah, sure. He totally has the hots for me. Do you even hear yourself Alice?"

"Don't be suspicious~"

They both looked up in surprise as a couple of guys were dancing near the edge of an aisle, and a familiar laugh barked out causing his face to burn and his heart to race.

"Uh, Sirius?" he tentatively called out as he rounded the aisle.

All three figures froze, but Remus only had eyes for the dark-haired man who was slowly lowering his phone and grinning widely.

"Oh! Fancy seeing you again."

Sirius moved to lean casually on one of the item displays. Unfortunately, he picked one that spun and promptly lost his balance and fell over. Remus couldn't help but burst out laughing as the man was splayed out on the ground and an employee rushed over to help.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir!" she cried, grabbing his arm to help him up. "Yeah, those aren't good to lean on-eek!" She got a good look at his face and immediately turned beet red. "O-oh, Mr. B-black!"

"Shit, our cover is blown!" James cried, tossing the colorful accessories off. "Lily is going to kill me!"

Sirius just grinned at this girl, acting like falling on his face was a completely normal thing. "Thanks, love." His voice had taken a heavier British accent than Remus recalled and he started feeling lightheaded. "Let's take a quick selfie and then I've got to run off, yeah?"

"O-okay!" she squeaked before pulling out her phone. Sirius squeezed in tight with her and the girl looked like she was on Cloud Nine.

"Let's go!" James hissed, seeing that people were starting to get curious about the commotion.

Just as he grabbed Sirius' arm to make the dash, Sirius moved forward and grabbed Remus' arm and soon all five of them were running as fast as they could to the front doors.

"I haven't paid!" Remus cried as he tried to screech to a halt before the electronic sentries of theft detection.

"We'll get you some new pants later!" Sirius laughed as he tossed Remus' choice of socks and underwear off in the direction of the cash registers before swooping the young man up and carrying him out of the store bridal style.

All of them dived into Peter's junked up incognito car before Peter peeled out of the parking lot with Sirius cackling like a madman in the back, his arms still full of a flustered Remus. James wheeled around in the passenger seat.

"Ma'am, I apologize for Sirius," he started with a nod to Alice before turning to his friend. "Sirius, I'm going to kill you. Okay? Okay."

Remus couldn't help but chuckle breathlessly as Sirius just waved off his friend and waggled his perfectly manicured eyebrows. "Hey there. You come here often?"

Alice burst out laughing making Remus groan in embarrassment. He did NOT want to think about the train of conversation that he had been having with her before getting swept out of Walmart.

"Oh, he'd like to," she teased, "very much so."

"ALICE!" he yelled with the deepening blush. "I will call your mother-in-law! Don't make me do it!"

That promptly shut her up and Sirius just laughed again.

"Hello again, Remus!" Peter greeted politely. "And, uh, Alice? Pleasure to meet you. I too apologize for Sirius. He's mental."

"Oh, I don't mind at all," she responded with a wide grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Oh, I'm going to have to text Frank about this. Mind if I take a picture?"

"Nope!" Sirius chirped, squeezing Remus close up against himself.

Alice took the group selfie and promptly got to texting her husband. Remus turned and faced Sirius, still blushing at being seated in the man's lap. 

"So, um, hi? Did you stalk me again?"

"I didn't need to get my PR agent involved this time," he replied happily. "I just took a guess at that Walmart because it was the closest to your work."

"Oh, bloody hell!" James hissed as he looked at his phone. "Okay, we have to go home _now_." Looking back at their two new guests he grimaced. "Pardon, but we're going to need to bring you too. Please feel free to help me kill this idiot when we get there."

"Oh no," Peter groaned. "Lily found out already?"

"Let's ignore them!" Sirius stated happily.

"Is this Lily going to try to kill me?" Remus asked curiously. "Because if she is, I'd like to at least let my mother know that I died for a worthy cause."

Remus grinned widely as he saw Sirius sigh happily and nod. "Yeah, we're probably headed towards our demise. You think I'm a worthy cause?"

Certain that his skin would never recover from the various shades of red he was subjecting them to, Remus nodded. "Yeah, I mean, that's what friends do, right? I'm not sure how I'm helping you, but whatever it is can't be any worse than vandalizing someone's property."

Sirius seemed to deflate a little but he nodded. "Y-yeah. Um, actually I needed help with a party next week. It's going to be a big one and I don't have anyone to go with me. I mean, as friends! James is going with Lily and Peter is going to be taking-"

"Hey! I haven't asked-"

"Shut it, Pete!" Sirius interrupted before turning his attention back to Remus. "So, want to come with me?"

"Um, you'll have to tell me what the dress code is and stuff, but yeah? Yeah, I'll go."

Alice bit down on her lip to keep her snicker quiet and she sent Frank another photo, this one with Remus and Sirius staring stupidly into each other's eyes.

**Me: Frank, I think our little baby is getting ready to leave the nest!**

The response was brief.

**Frank: About time.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering about the "don't be suspicious song" [here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyEBeHvNJvE) a Youtube video so that you may see the hilarity. XD


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm pretty sure that I said that I _didn't_ want to see you all in the news or on social media!" Lily growled dangerously, her hands planted firmly on her widening hips. 

James was practically grovelling already. "It was an accident, my love! It's not my fault that Sirius has the spatial awareness of a 6 month old!"

"Sirius fell flat on his face trying to be cool in front of Remus," Peter translated before turning to their guests. "Want anything to drink?"

"What do you have?" Alice asked excitedly.

"I'm fine," Remus mumbled, deciding to stay right by Sirius' side.

"This is Remus!" Sirius announced to the fuming red-head. Remus guessed that if anyone was actually going to be committing murder, it was probably her.

"I would say 'it's a pleasure to meet you' if it were under different circumstances, Remus." She sighed angrily. "It wasn't the being spotted in Walmart that has the internet exploding right now, guys. It's the let's-run-out-like-lunatics-while-hauling-off-previously-unknown-friends!"

"It's Sirius' fault!" James and Peter replied at the same time, and the grinning fool didn't have enough decency to look ashamed. 

"We accidentally met him and of course we had to bring him home. His friend too, of course."

Lily rubbed at her temples and James immediately jumped up to rub at her shoulders. "Of course, Sirius. I mean, obviously."

Already having moved on from the current discussion, Sirius grabbed Remus' hand and pulled him out to the deck. "Want some soda? I need to get some sun before the daylight runs out."

"Sure," Remus replied with a shy grin. 

"Pick what you like, okay?" he offered after opening up the cooler. 

Remus squatted down and ran his fingers over all the glass bottles before finally settling for a simple root beer. He peeled the lid off with the provided bottle opener and turned around only to promptly spit up the sip he had attempted to swallow. Sirius was putting his hair up into a messy bun, body all lean lines showing off all his best angles and leading down to the tiny bikini briefs that left very little to the imagination. Those grey eyes looked over knowingly and that perfectly curved mouth turned up in a teasing manner. 

"You can sunbathe too, if you want," he suggested as if all mortals were as comfortable in their near-naked state as he was. 

Remus just shook his head quickly and attempted to wipe the spit-up soda off his face nonchalantly as he took a seat next to the lounging Sirius. He stared forward at the glistening pool water, trying not to pay too much attention to his peripheral vision where the sex god was exposed. While most male models aimed for the tight ripped muscles or bulging mass of muscles, Sirius seemed to aim for simply highlighting his perfect features. Those mile-long legs were shapely and tight with muscle, but the skin looked so soft and had such an aesthetic as it curved over his bones and muscles. The flat expanse of stomach showed a modest stretch of muscles not quite to a six pack but delicious enough to want to eat off of and his tattooed chest up to his arms was all very much the same. Sharp well structured bones, tight but inviting musculature, and skin that made you want to taste and tease it.

"How did you get into modeling?" he finally croaked out as he pulled his legs up to hide any evidence of arousal.

Sirius kept his eyes shut and seemed perfectly relaxed next to Remus. "I went in for auditions as a teen as soon as my parents disowned and kicked me out. It took a few shoots to figure out how I best wanted to present myself, but I had a bad manager and ended up doing a lot of shoots that I didn't care for. It wasn't till I graduated a few years later that Lily took over and things went much better."

"But why modeling? I mean, you're gorgeous, but still..."

This time an eye peeked out and caught sight of the blushing cheeks. "You think I'm gorgeous?"

"Well, yeah." Remus muttered against the lip of his bottle. "Anyone with eyes can see that."

Smiling softly, he returned to closing both eyes and relaxing. "At first it was just to piss my parents off. To go against all their stuffy rules and shit. But then later, after Lily took over, I saw that there were ways I could spread positive messages with what I do. I always try to support the non-traditional models - the curvy girls, the androgynous, the trans, just whatever helps to spread the message of love for others and self-love." 

"That's pretty cool of you," Remus grinned over his soda. He was already well aware of how much Sirius advocated for others as his social media accounts were filled with that too, but it was different hearing the sincerity in the man's voice. 

Sirius shrugged. "I mean, there are plenty of people who think that I do that for the attention, like I can't possibly care about others or understand what they're going through because I'm, well, me. Cis white male model who is 'fashionably' gay." Remus could see him rolling his eyes under the thin eyelids. "I obviously don't fully understand everything that others go through, but that doesn't mean that I can't care and I can't support them to the best of my ability. That's partly why I'm so excited about getting to be an Angel! I mean, just because I'm not trans doesn't mean that I can't help."

Remus glanced at him in surprise. "An angel?"

"Oh shit!" Sirius laughed as he jerked up into a seated position. "Don't tell Lily that I said anything, okay?"

"Uh, okay."

Those grey eyes pinned Remus and he tried not to glance down at the perfect teeth biting down on a plush lower lip while Sirius leaned in conspiratorially. "I've just signed a contract to be the first male model to walk the catwalk at the Victoria Secret's Fashion Show as an Angel."

Hazel eyes widened and he gaped in surprise and arousal. The mental image of Sirius in lingerie was _not_ what he needed if he was trying to not act like a fool around the supermodel. "U-uh, wow." He swallowed thickly and gaped for a few seconds as he nodded enthusiastically in approval. "That's...like, good? Right?"

Sirius grinned even wider and nodded happily. "It's fucking awesome! Especially because they've agreed to allow me to walk out to present their first trans-friendly line! The lingerie line will launch directly after the show!"

A surprising amount of pride swelled in Remus overwhelming even the lusty thoughts. "That's fantastic, Sirius!" he congratulated. "I can't think of any other major brands that have done something like that. Not that I'm, like, familiar with underwear companies or anything."

"That's obvious," Sirius laughed as he scooted closer. "You were buying your undies at Walmart!"

"Shut up," he groaned before taking a deep swig of the cool drink.

"Lover boys!" Alice called out as he pulled open the patio door. "Come on in! Lily's orders!"

"Fiiiiiiine," the taller boy groaned dramatically before rolling forward onto the balls of his feet and standing elegantly. "Let's get my chef to make some dinner. Dairy and gluten free, right?"

Remus scrambled up with less finesse and nudged Sirius softly with his shoulder before they stepped back into the house.

"Yeah."

**

After dinner Alice's car was retrieved by some people that Sirius employed and they were able to head back to their respective homes. That meant that Remus had to endure yet another interrogation by his friend.

" _That's what friends do_?! Are you kidding, Remus?"

He sighed heavily as he banged his forehead against the cool glass of the window. "That's all we are, Alice."

"Are you blind? Or just stupid?" She huffed irritably. "I mean, come on! The guy was hitting on you all afternoon and you friend-zoned him!"

"He wasn't...I mean..." Remus let out another loud exhale. "Look, he just thinks I'm this dorky guy that's fun to play with. He's having fun being flirty, but that doesn't mean he wants to actually get together."

"He asked you out to a party! That's a big deal!"

"He's taken James and Peter to events too," Remus shot back in frustration. "And he's obviously not dating them, so lay off!"

Alice glanced over at him in surprise, seemingly noticing his turmoil for the first time. "What's going on, Rem?" she asked softly.

Wiping at his nose with the sleeve of his button-up Remus tried not to get all emotional on her. It hadn't even been a month since his last breakdown. "Nothing."

She reached out and squeezed his hand softly. "You can tell me."

Looking at the endless stream of vehicles on the highway, Remus sniffled again. "It's just...I like him, okay? He's funny and sweet and so fucking gorgeous. But I'm like...not. Guys throw themselves at his feet while guys only ever want to run away from me." The tears were spilling over now. "I've been dumped by every single boyfriend I've had and even cheated on multiple times! There's something obviously wrong with me and I'd rather not have that mess up things between me and Sirius, okay?"

"Oh, hon..." Alice squeezed his hand tightly and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"Maybe it's that there's nothing _right_ with me, then," he insisted.

"Don't say that," she tried, voice still soft. 

"I really like him, Alice," he huffed wetly, "and I'd rather stay just friends than ruin it all and not have him in my life."

They clutched each other's hands and didn't speak for the rest of the drive.

**

**Sirius: Hey, are you online right now?**

Remus smiled a little as he looked at his mobile. The lines of code filling his screen were minimized so that he could pull up a browser.

**Me: I am now. What do you want me to look up?**

Sirius sent a link to a livecast and he typed it out into the address bar. There were a few people sitting at a conference table with the Victoria's Secret name emblazoned over everything and it looked like it was just getting started. 

"Hey Alice, can you come here for a sec?" Remus called over the top of his cubicle before hunkering back down and paying attention. 

Even though he knew what was going to be announced he was still ridiculously excited for Sirius. Alice pulled his pile of filing boxes over next to him and took a seat.

"What's this?"

"Here, just shush and watch." He handed one ear bud over to her and the both of them leaned forward and watched as the man at the center of the table spoke.

She looked a bit confused, probably because Remus had never shown any particular inclination towards having a preference for lingerie, but she remained quiet as requested. The man droned on about how the company was always looking to improve and provide for their audience and highlighted the importance of having something like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. When he finished with the speech a slender young woman stood up and nodded to the cameras as she introduced herself and stated that she would be announcing the models who would be gracing the catwalk this year. Remus could barely contain his excitement and bit down on his lip as she called out the names of different girls that he had never heard of. Apparently they were big stuff because the crowd was screaming excitedly around the cordoned off section for the celebrities and the interviewing media. As each person was called they came forward to a table in front of the big wigs and took their seat. Soon there was only one seat left and Remus was almost crying in anticipation. Alice gave him the side-eye for a second before turning her attention back to the screen.

"And finally," the lady spokesperson announced with a large smile, "I'd like to introduce you all to our final Angel. This model has world-renown works and is one of the biggest names among supermodels." The crowd cheered and Remus wondered if any of them had the slightest clue. "Please help me to greet our newest Angel, the lovely Sirius Black!"

There was a breathless pause before the entire crowed erupted excitedly and Sirius stepped out from behind the curtain waving elegantly and striding to his seat with all the confidence in the world. High-waisted white slacks with baby blue buttons, a pink button up that was alluringly open at the top, white suspenders, and baby blue teardrop earrings - Sirius was an absolute dream and Remus could feel his heart pounding. Alice was squealing in excitement and soon he was too, completely forgetting that they were in the office instead of standing amidst the cheering crowd.

"What the hell?" Marlene asked behind them making them jump.

"Oh, uh-"

"Is that the Victoria Secret thing?" she asked looking at the screen. "No way! Is that...take the damn headphone out so I can listen!"

As the she hunched over the other two, soon Marlene was squealing in delight with them and it wasn't long before the Prewitts and Dorcas joined in to watch the interviews.

"She's hot!" Fabian declared.

"Man, I didn't think Remus was such a fanboy!" Gideon laughed.

"Look at those _legs_!" Dorcas exclaimed.

It took Lucius' insistent nagging before they all returned back to their desks and Remus blushed a little when the blonde man sent him a curious quirked eyebrow. He didn't exactly feel like explaining why he suddenly cared about a woman's lingerie company. Instead he turned his attention to his phone.

**Me: Congratulations, Sirius! You're going to blow everyone away.**

Still blushing, he tucked the device back into his pocket and turned his attention back to debugging the program.

**

**Lil' King: SIRIUS, IT'S AN EMERGENCY SO ANSWER MY VIDEO CHAT**

Sirius felt his heart clench in anxiety as he read the message that just popped up. "Hey, shut that shit off!" he commanded James and Peter as they were singing along to the _Mama Mia_ movie. "Reg is calling me!"

They scrambled to comply and it was silent when the trilling of the video chat started.

"Is he okay?" Peter asked nervously and Sirius waved him off as he smashed down on the accept button.

"What is it, Reg? Are you okay? Do you need me to pick you up?!"

"Sheesh, take a breath!" Regulus whispered with a bit of mischief in his voice.

"You said it was a fucking emergency!!!!"

"I know," Regulus snickered.

"And why are you in the dark? What the hell?"

"Okay, this is going to be great," Regulus wheezed, trying to stifle his laughter. James and Peter looked over Sirius' shoulders and waved at his little brother. "So, I...oh Merlin..." he paused to choke back some more laughter and they could see him creep towards a shaft of light.

"That's your old place's living space," Peter supplied.

"I know," Sirius snapped in annoyance. 

"Okay, so guys," Regulus tried again still whispering. "I...fuck this is going to be awesome...I told Mother and Father that I was thinking about attending the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this year. Since like, I'm out in society or whatever, and like..." He snickered again and they could tell he was holding his nose to keep from being too loud. 

Sirius' eyes widened as he recognized the voice on the large screen, of the company spokesperson making a speech about the upcoming show. "You _didn't_ ," he gasped in awe.

"Oh yes I did," Regulus whispered in triumph. "Now shut up and watch."

He edged the corner of his phone around the door frame and all three of the friends could see the backs of Orion and Walburga's heads as they watched the conference. Walburga sighed in annoyance as she took a drink from her wine glass.

"Why would Regulus want to be around these sluts?" she asked in annoyance.

"Because they are rich and well connected sluts," Orion responded, fingers tapping away on his mobile device and only occasionally looking up at the screen.

"Well connected is one way of putting it," Walburga growled and Sirius was laughing and gasping in delight.

It sounded like Regulus had shoved his entire fist into his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Darling, we don't have to watch this," Orion sighed in annoyance.

"No! We have to see who will be there and make a plan!" Her voice left no room for argument and he just sighed again as he stared at his phone.

"We could have someone else look at this and they could provide a full report."

"This is our son!" she stated haughtily. "I will not leave his liaisons to someone else!"

James was howling in laughter and Peter rushed off to get tissues for all of them.

"I love you Reg!" Sirius sobbed as he choked on more laughter. "Oh hell, this is going to be great."

The commentary his parents provided as they started announcing the models had everyone in stitches and Sirius was worried that Regulus was going to collapse from the effort of keeping silent through the whole thing. His hand shook, making the screen shake for them.

"Here we go!" James crowed.

"And finally," the lady spokesperson announced with a large smile, "I'd like to introduce you all to our final Angel. This model has world-renown works and is one of the biggest names among supermodels." 

"Aren't all supermodels inherently big named people with world-renown work?" Orion sighed. "She's being redundant. I'm striking her off the list of potentials for Regulus."

"Please help me to greet our newest Angel, the lovely Sirius Black!"

And there the moment was in all it's glory. Walburga had conveniently been taking a deep gulp of her expensive wine just as the name was announced as she promptly spit the entire mouthful all over Orion and his phone. Orion's head had jerked up to gawp at the screen and then he _shrieked_ at the flood of wine he was doused in. The normally elegant woman stammered at the screen as she stared at her eldest son strutting forward to take his seat with the other models and Orion let out a string of the vilest curse words Sirius had ever heard uttered by the man before he threw his phone at the screen and shattering it. Regulus couldn't stand anymore and quickly stumbled away as he started hearing the shrieks and screaming rants.

Sirius had fallen to the ground screaming in delighted laughter and James was trying to mop the tears off his red face.

"You are a god, Reg!" Sirius sobbed. "Please tell me you recorded this whole thing!!!"

Said brother had just shut his door behind him and flipped the screen so that they could all see his own red, tear-streaked face as he finally gave into the gut-busting laughs he had been denying himself.

"O-of course, wanker!" he wheezed. "The whole bloody thing. Oh Merlin, my sides...I'm doing to die..."

"I fucking wet myself!" Sirius laughed as he wiped at his eyes. "Oh man, I'm going to kiss you right on the mouth for that!"

"Ugh, please don't," Regulus grimaced before collapsing back on his bed with a breath-taking smile. "That was pretty awesome."

"I can't wait to send them photos of me in my wings," Sirius teased and Regulus laughed hard enough to snort.

"Mother might actually kill you," he replied and Sirius nodded in response.

"Yeah, she might. Oh man, that was great."

"My sides!" Peter squeaked from his position on the floor next to Sirius.

"Oh shit!" Regulus chuckled. "They're calling for me, got to go."

"Love you!" Sirius chirped before his brother signed off.

"That was brilliant," James chuckled. "You've got to send that to Lily when he gets it to you."

Taking deep calming breaths, Sirius couldn't help the large grin still plastered over his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirius' outfit is based on @littlebitellie's gorgeous pic [here](https://littlebitellie.tumblr.com/image/189772595331).


	3. Chapter 3

"Uh oh, Sirius is here," Lily commented as she flipped over from the security camera app back to the emails she was tending to. 

"I bet this is about Remus," James yawned as he scooted away from Lily to make room for Sirius. It was just rude to ask a pregnant lady to scoot. 

"Oh dear," she sighed in response. "I wasn't quite ready to have this conversation with him yet."

The front door clicked open and shortly after their bedroom door was nudged open. Seeing the two of his friends on their phones, Sirius let himself fully in and kicked off his shoes.

"Hello, loves."

"Hi, Sirius," Lily greeted while James just grunted at him.

The tall model lifted up their comforter from the foot of the bed and then awkwardly crawled under the covers before worming himself into the space between them.

"Nice briefs, bro," he yawned to James.

"What are you doing in our house at 11pm?" he responded as he archived another email. 

Sirius just grumbled something unintelligible and snuggled up against Lily's side. A few years ago she would have been mortified to have Sirius right up against her while she was in nothing but a nightie but by now she was used to it. Just like they were used to Sirius showing up unannounced at their house. The security cameras and alerts were more to give them a couple of minutes notice before he walked in on them.

"Are you feeling okay?" she tried.

Grey eyes looked up from her hip level and Sirius sighed heavily. "Am I crazy?"

"Yes," Lily and James responded at the same time.

He waved his hand in annoyance. "No, I mean, like I know _that_. But, am I reading Remus wrong? I really want to ask him out at the party tomorrow but..." With another breathy sigh he buried his face into Lily's side.

James raised his eyebrows at Lily and made a vague hand signal. 

"Look, Sirius," she started while trying to remind herself that she was basically dealing with the emotional maturity of a teenager, "I know that you like him, but don't you think that you should get to know him a bit better before asking him out? You guys haven't known each other all that long."

"It feels like I've known him forever," he mumbled.

"Yes, love, and I know that you feel that way. And I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but you said the same thing about Lockheart." He muttered unhappily against her nightie. "In his defense, I don't think that Remus is anything like Lockheart, but I don't know if he's going to be good with you."

"Why not?" Sirius was looking up at her almost offended.

She glanced over at James for help before looking back down at the grumpy man. "It's not really you so much as your job." Clicking off her phone so that she could put her whole attention on him, Lily played with Sirius' hair while she continued. "Remus seems pretty shy and not all that knowledgeable about the kinds of things that you go through all the time. The fiasco at Walmart? He seemed to take that okay, but that's because the paparazzi didn't get a clear shot of his face and they didn't know who he was. What if they got a hold of his personal information? People could start stalking him or sending him death threats."

"But Lockheart-"

"Love, he had assistants to screen his letters and stuff. Remus is just a regular guy. What if people started showing up at his office? He could get fired."

"He could move in with me," Sirius responded thoughtfully.

"Listen to yourself, mate!" James laughed as he pinched his brother's cheek. "You've known him for a couple of weeks and you want him to move in with you?"

Sirius shrugged as if it was a perfectly reasonable thing to be discussing.

"Sirius, you're asking a young man to upend his entire life for you," she pressed softly. "And after only knowing you for such a short amount of time. That's not very fair."

"But if it's perfect-"

"C'mon," James chided affectionately. He too set his phone down, but he got fully under the covers and snuggled with his friend. "You're asking us because you don't really know if he's into you like that. I'd say that it means you don't know him well enough to ask yet much less invite him to move in with you."

"He could still move in with me," Sirius offered as he squirmed around to face James. "As friends. We could live together as friends. You and Peter practically live at my place anyway and I have so much empty space in that damned mansion."

James pecked his brother's cold nose before responding. "What about when you go gallivanting off on your next job? You've got the mansion because it was cheaper than having a penthouse empty for 70% of the year."

"If Remus was living there then it wouldn't be empty. Might be worth upgrading to the penthouse."

James looked up at Lily incredulously before looking at the soft and excited look on Sirius' face. "Bloody hell, man. You're really smitten."

"Yeah," Sirius smiled happily before snuggling up against his friend's chest. "Can I spend the night?" he yawned.

"Sure, love," Lily yawned in response before shuffling down and fulfilling her duty in the Sirius sandwich. "Thanks for showing up in pajamas this time. I appreciate not having to peel myself off your leathers."

"Sure thing, Lils," Sirius sighed as he settled in.

**

"What was I thinking?" Remus muttered to himself as he stared at the freshly laundered navy blue suit in front of himself.

"Aren't you excited?" Alice asked as she came in with a pair of Frank's cuff links.

"Uh, that's not exactly the word I was thinking of."

"Giddy? Delighted? Roused? Thrilled?"

"More along the lines of terrified."

This made her laugh and Frank peeked in to make sure that they were hurrying up in their preparations. A private car was coming to pick Remus up in an hour.

"Remus you have the chance to rub elbows with all kinds of famous people and you're terrified? Why? It's not like you have a reputation among them already that you need to keep up with. You're just another face to them. Think of all the behind-the-scenes pictures you could take!"

"Don't worry, Remus," Frank stated kindly. "I'm sure that there will be plenty of other friends and family of the celebrities that you could hang out with."

"That's true!" Alice squealed. "Not everyone is coming with a famous date or anything."

That did make Remus feel a little better. "I'm just...this isn't normal for me. I mean, I had to get this suit _dry cleaned_."

Frank shrugged. "Go you. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and everything."

"Your mom is texting me," she laughed at Remus. "She wants pictures and was correctly suspicious that you would forget to tell me."

Remus blushed a little before finally grabbing the suit and getting changed in the bathroom. He tried not to be embarrassed that this was the only suit he had ever owned as an adult and that the last time he wore it was at a fancy dinner with Lucius. Everything felt stiff and too fancy on him and he shuffled out uncomfortably. Alice and Frank both cheered happily and then Frank stepped forward to help him with the tie and cuff links. The tie was a deep crimson, a request from Sirius, and he wondered if Sirius was going to be wearing something that would match him. 

"You guys are the best," he said thankfully as Alice finished polishing up his loafers while Frank tidied up Remus' unruly hair. Frank's hair stylist skills were invaluable in keeping his hair under a semblance of control.

"Aw, I'm going to want to frame this up," Alice replied with an affectionate smile. She took the photo on her phone and texted it to Hope, Lyall, and Remus. "You look a little more like your dad in this get up."

That made Remus laugh again. "Only because you've never seen my mom in pantsuits," he teased.

"Oh my, is there a story behind that comment?!"

"I think my car is here," Remus laughed as he moved to check out the window.

"Don't forget to send me a ton of pics!"

"Will do." He took a deep breath and looked over at his friends. "Wish me luck." 

With a pat on the back from Frank and a hug from Alice he was quickly whisked away by the private car to the backstage area where he was to meet Lily. It was unnerving to be going to a party with a friend and having to be given instructions on what you could or could not do by his manager. It was even stranger as he stepped out into the backstage area where a lot of the catering professionals and other employees were bustling around while he could hear the screams of fans and the thunder of camera clicks. 

"Hi Remus!" she greeted in a lovely black gown with comfortable looking flats.

"Hi Lily!" he greeted back, unnerved as the car zoomed off as soon as he clicked the door shut. "Uh, where should I meet Sirius?"

"I'll walk you over there," she replied with an easy grin. "While we're walking let me give you some information. Stay away from the red carpet or you'll be bombarded by the paparazzi. There are some photographers that have been allowed in so you can't avoid those." He gulped but nodded. "Most everyone will be polite and friendly, just please don't go around asking personal questions or they'll think you're a hidden reporter or something. Keep conversations shallow and pleasant."

"I can do that."

She looked pretty pleased with his compliance and Remus wondered how difficult wrangling Sirius was at events like this. 

"When we get into the party proper you'll be able to see the areas that they've designated for photoshoots, so you'll want to avoid those as well. Don't drink too much, and I'd suggest not eating much either if you can help it. These catering companies can be pretty hit and miss. We can get you something to eat afterwards."

"Okay."

Green eyes looked around critically and Remus gulped as he could already see some celebrities that even he recognized.

"Remus?" He looked down at her, surprised at the grave tone. Her eyes were still narrowed as if she was inspecting him. "Look, Sirius is a great guy and pretty free with his affection. I'd recommend you being cautious with him tonight as there are lots of cameras and nosy photographers."

A pale blush rose on his cheeks and he nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Good!" She clapped her hands and pointed over to the doors where Sirius was just stepping in from. "Have fun and I'll let you know when we're heading out."

It probably would have been polite to respond to her, but the moment Remus caught sight of Sirius all his brain could comprehend was the absolute vision that the black-haired man presented. The bold red button up he wore was left open at the top exposing those delicious collarbones, and the suit he wore over it made Remus' head spin. Really, it should have looked absolutely ridiculous but on Sirius' confident frame it looked like a work of art. The navy blue material of the jacket and slacks were decorated with an entire garden's worth of red rose and green vine embroidery. It was gaudy and over the top but it looked like pure art, especially when Sirius caught his eye and immediately lit up.

Those long legs capped off in metallic gold loafers strode the distance easily and Sirius was crushing Remus into a hug before grinning down at him like an excited dog. "I'm glad you made it," he murmured softly.

"Hello to you too," Lily chided. "Come here, give me a hug, brute."

"Brute?" he laughed as he pulled her into a hug. "There's not a brutish bone in my body."

Remus took a deep breath and tried to remember all those things that Lily had told him. He needed to be careful, not to get all caught up in those stormy eyes and those red lips. Was he wearing lipstick? Remus wanted to test how smear-proof it was.

"Alright, go ahead and mingle a little," she told Sirius, "but I'll be dragging you off for interviews throughout the night. Don't fight me on this."

"Yes, ma'am!" he saluted before turning his attention back to Remus. "Hey, I got something for you." 

A blush painted Remus' cheeks as Sirius pulled open his coat and carefully pulled a single red rose boutonniere that matched the exact shade of his suit's embroidered flowers. He carefully pinned it to Remus' lapel and the young man just shook his head in amazement. 

"I don't have anything for you," he protested as he tilted his head back to look at that handsome face.

Sirius grinned. "You're all I want, Remus."

All Remus wanted to do was grab that perfectly symmetrical face and kiss the man senseless consequences be damned, and he might have very well done that if only Lily hadn't immediately grabbed them by their elbows and guided them into the crowd.

"Boys," she grit through her teeth, "it hasn't even been five fucking minutes since I said _don't_ cause a scene."

Remus stammered but Sirius didn't seem even slightly bothered. "Chill, Lils. I gave you that matching corsage."

She didn't look placated. "Whatever, just no more gazing into each other's eyes like that."

"Noted," he responded in a bored tone. 

With far more supervision by Lily than he had anticipated, Remus flitted through the crowd at Sirius' elbow with his eyes wide and mouth clamped shut. How was he supposed to converse with these people who all made more in a month than he did in a year? As he also wasn't up-to-date with celebrities and the gossip, he didn't know who was famous as opposed to their not-famous friend or family member in tow. Sirius talked to everyone the same, so he couldn't even follow any cues that way. Most people were polite enough to say hello, but it was pretty easy to see that they really just wanted to get a chance to talk to Sirius. Being completely out of his element, Remus was actually relieved by the situation. By the time Sirius went off for his first interview, Remus had to take a deep drink of a glass of champagne. 

"Damn, is it always like this?" he asked Lily while loosening his tie. 

"This is mild," she teased. "You should see him at a show."

"Whew," he whistled. "Kind of overwhelming." She gave him another side-eye glance and he wondered what she was thinking. "Um, how did James and Peter get through all this? I mean, they're usually the ones he takes, right?" In all honesty he kind of wished that they were here so that he could at least hang out with them in the background but Lily had explained that Peter got sick and James stayed behind to nurse him.

"There was definitely a steep learning curve," she sighed, rubbing at her baby bump. "But they've been best friends with Sirius for such a long time and I mean, James isn't exactly a shy bloke. Peter has a little bit of a harder time, but he's desensitized after growing up with the other two. They were pretty much the same way in school."

Remus felt a pang wondering what it would have been like to grow up with the other three. Would he be more confident? Would he have avoided a string of unsuccessful relationships that left him with a crippled sense of self-worth? Would Sirius still give him those smoldering looks?

"I think that I need some air," he stated feeling a bit dizzy.

Lily patted his arm kindly and showed him out to where a small garden had been erected. There were still servers out there with drinks and food so he accepted a glass of water and told Lily that he would be fine by himself for a bit. There weren't that many people outside and they were all pretty engaged in their own conversations. Swallowing down the cold water, he then pressed the cool glass to his forehead and tried to relax. He was here as a friend. Just a friend. Sirius surely didn't need something like a relationship to hold him down. He was doing great and amazing things, traveling the world, and being a wonderful friend. That was more than enough to keep him busy. A relationship would be too much. If they tried he would only get bored or annoyed with Remus and dump him.

"Hey there," came a familiar teasing voice and Remus couldn't help but smile as he opened one eye to see Sirius leaning against a pseudo pillar and grinning at him. "You come here often?"

"No," he replied with a chuckle. "This is a special occasion. I dusted off my only suit and everything."

"It's a nice suit," Sirius appraised as he stepped forward, not caring that he moved right up against Remus and took a lapel between his pale fingers.

"You don't have to lie," Remus chuckled breathlessly at their close vicinity. "It's from the mall."

The sultry grin that curled on those lips made Remus' knees grow weak. "You're what makes the suit look good."

"Shit," Remus gasped, heart pounding. "I just want to..."

He shouldn't.

"I insist you do," Sirius responded as if he could easily read Remus' mind.

It didn't take Remus' lust addled mind long to realize that the lipstick smeared _very_ nicely.

**

"That slag," Narcissa huffed as she scrolled down on her phone.

Lucius looked over from his seat in the back of their limousine as they were driven to their respective homes after a night of socializing. Dinner parties were exhausting.

"What is it, dear?"

"My slut cousin," she laughed. "He's found himself another little whore."

Lucius raised his eyebrow. Narcissa didn't often talk about her extended family. "Uh, Regulus? I didn't think he-"

"No, no, not that one. Sirius Black, the disowned one."

His brain flashed up the sultry advertisement he had seen in a magazine only a couple of days ago and he swallowed thickly. "I didn't realize that you still considered him your cousin," he replied evenly. 

"Sort of," she sighed. "If he hadn't been disowned I wouldn't mind hitting him up for tickets to events and such. I like to keep my options open in case he gets back into the family's good graces."

Ever the opportunist. "If you don't like him, why are you following him?"

"I don't follow him on Instagram," she laughed derisively. "He just comes up in the gossip columns. And there are pictures hot off the press tonight of him making out with some unknown man at the Victoria's Secret Gala."

She flipped her phone over to show him the pictures as if he would care. At first he thought that it might be a good image to file away for fantasy material, but the second he saw that familiar curve of a jaw, that head of wavy and curly hair, scars down a familiar neck, and _that navy suit_...Lucius made a choked sound before coughing it off.

"Well, that's his business."

"Slag," she laughed again, once more scrolling.

 _He's not the only slag_ , Lucius thought angrily as he pulled out his own phone and began tapping out a message.

**

Remus sat quietly in the back of the car, hands clenched tightly as he tried not to think of how he must look. Lily had separated them angrily and sent Remus home all the while whispering sharply to Sirius about ruining everything. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone and turned the camera to face him so that he could better see where to use the makeup removing wipes Lily had tossed into the back with him. He stared at his own face, shocked at how he almost looked unrecognizable. It wasn't that his features had changed any. Nose a little too large, a few scars across his face and neck from an old automobile accident, hazel eyes.

But when he stared at his image, Remus wondered who exactly he was seeing. What kind of person wore the lipstick shamelessly smeared by a passionate kiss? Whose neck bloomed with love bites and whose collar was stained by the same red lipstick? What kind of person dared to have such kiss bitten lips?

Not Remus. 

He was just a coder. A tiny cog in a giant machine. A no one.

Snatching up a makeup removing wipes, he pulled one out and almost got to work but his shaking fingers paused. He stared at his image again and not really knowing why he was doing it, Remus took a selfie. Shaking his head he immediately got to work on removing the evidence of the passionate encounter before a notification popped up and caught his attention. With a furrowed brow and lips agape he read the text that he had just received.

**Lucius: We need to talk, Remus. I think that I might have made a mistake.**

_to be continued in part 3..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, I did! ;) Sirius' suit is basically Baz's outfit from Wayward Son although the red is a little more like the Gryffindor colors.


End file.
